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New road to Pelican Park to go before Mandeville City Council for a vote Thursday

Mandeville bypass road map

St. Tammany Parish and the city of Mandeville plan to partner to build a 2.5-mile road that will link Louisiana 1088 and U.S. 190 to provide additional access to Pelican Park. This is a preliminary drawing of the roadway plan, which is subject to change.

The Mandeville City Council will weigh in on a plan to contribute $2.5 million from a special sales tax fund toward construction of a new road east of the city to improve traffic flow into Pelican Park. The City Council Thursday (Aug. 14) night will vote on a resolution giving Mayor Donald Villere authority to sign an agreement with St. Tammany Parish government to build what is being referred to as the Mandeville Bypass Road.

While design work has not yet started, preliminary plans call for a 2.5-mile road connecting Louisiana 1088 to the park near its entrance at U.S. 190. The new road would provide a direct route to the 230-acre park from the north, making access more convenient for the up to 15,000 people who use it on some days. Currently, U.S. 190 provides the only access to the massive public recreation facility.

City and parish officials said the road, which is expected to cost about $11 million, would relieve congestion on Louisiana 59 as well as U.S. 190. And even though the road would not be within the city limits, Mandeville officials said it would benefit the many residents who use the park and the roads around it, including the primarily residential Soult Street.

"To me, it's about safety, capacity and convenience," said Mandeville Councilman Rick Danielson, sponsor of the resolution. "It's going to be a benefit to the entire city of Mandeville."

Rick DanielsonEllis Lucia, The Times-Picayune archive

Danielson and Villere were among the elected officials who appeared at a news conference last month with Parish President Pat Brister to announce plans for the project, which they said is long overdue. The city's $2.5 million portion of cost would come from a joint parish/city sales tax district whose funds are dedicated for road and drainage improvements, officials said.

The road would run from Louisiana 1088 east of Forest Brook subdivision until it reaches the park. It would then skirt along the northern and eastern boundaries of the park all the way to U.S. 190 adjacent to the existing entrance to the park. That entrance would be redesigned and widened to create new and improved access, officials said.